Waves
by Sliver of Jessi
Summary: She took an opportunity and landed in the last place she never thought existed. How could she save herself if she was already dead?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Before you read this first chapter, you need to understand how it reads. Right now, you are reading bits and pieces of Alyse's life and what leads up to her 'crossing over'. That's right. It's one of those real world girl meets Albion. Please, just bare with me, it's not going to be what you may think. Anywho, I didn't know how else to show you these snippets without you being so utterly confused that you didn't have a clue as to what was happening, so those lines break the sections up corresponding with the memory. These memories are all from the course of one day, so, yeah. I'd really enjoy any feedback you can give me, since this is my first story. Flames? Go ahead, I might need it. c:**

_She came on the waves,_

_Of a hot summer day._

She was drowning, she could feel it. Her hands clawed towards the surface, trying desperately to pull herself up—to do something. Her lungs screamed as she tried to catch a breath, any breath. She imagined she had gulped more than her weight in water. She couldn't go up, she could only go down, being dragged deeper and deeper into the lake's sweet embrace. She saw minnows and trout shooting across her vision, terrified by the intruder in the water. They didn't know she was drowning, they didn't know she needed saving. No one did. How foolish she was, thinking she would matter. No one knew her, no one would miss her. No one would care. A small smile graced her lips over the pain-stricken visage. How pathetic. She was going to die and no one would even notice. She stopped moving.

How could she save herself if she was already dead?

"_ALI!"_

Alyse was jolted awake, her chest heaving in much needed air. A man hovered above her, his bed-head hair sticking out at awkward angles. Worry was plastered across his face. He placed a hand on her face, running his thumb over the smooth skin of her cheek and he placed a kiss on her forehead.  
"You were thrashing around like you were a fish out of water, was it a nightmare?"

Oh, if he only knew.

* * *

" What do you mean you have to work?"  
"Al, I'm sorry, but Connor wants me to cover hi—"

"Again with Connor! How is it that every single time we plan something, he has to ruin it!?"  
"It's money, Ali, we _need_ money. We're basically living off of your check and we both know—you know what? No, I'm not having this conversation with you. I'll see you later tonight."  
An ear-shattering silence enveloped the two of them; Alyse knew the conversation had ended right then and there. After a moment's hesitation, he walked out the door.

* * *

_"… One new message from; two-two-eight, five-five-five, zero-one-eight-three.  
'Hey Ali, I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know we never spend time together anymore I just… I want this—I want us to work. I'm sick of worrying about whether we are going to be able to pay the damn water-bill every month. I want to finally be happy. With you. Anyway, uhm, I love you. A lot. Forgive me?' Beep. No new messages."_

Alyse set down her phone, glancing back and forth from the clock, to the picture of the two of them on the wall. They looked _happy_; his lips were quirked into that signature smirk, chocolate browns twinkling in the sunlight. Alyse was propped up on his shoulders, grinning like there was no tomorrow. She checked the clock again; 12:00 am. Where was he?

* * *

"_Hey. Where are you? It's only—oh – one in the fucking morning! You were supposed to be here by ten last night! I just— … Where are you?"  
_

* * *

Alyse set down the phone, staring at the empty living room in her empty house. It couldn't be true, she just saw him a few hours ago. They had to be wrong. Tears welled in her eyes, the very thought ripping out her heart. Bile rose in her throat, her heart giving a painful clench.

"Not him."

* * *

She couldn't accept it, this couldn't be happening. She sped down the dirt road, clad in a black dress, shoes and peacoat. She was going to a funeral—_his _funeral. Alyse saw an opportunity and took it. Right at that hairpin turn, she didn't turn, she floored it straight down.

She was drowning, she could feel it. Her hands clawed towards the surface, trying desperately to pull herself up—to do something. '_I changed my mind_.' Her lungs screamed as she tried to catch a breath, any breath. She imagined she had gulped more than her weight in water. '_No.'_ She couldn't go up, she could only go down, being dragged deeper and deeper into the lake's sweet embrace.' _I don't want to die!'_ She saw minnows and trout shooting across her vision, terrified by the intruder in the water. They didn't know she was drowning, they didn't know she needed saving. No one did. How foolish she was, thinking it would matter. She moved to this stupid city to make a life with him. No one knew her, no one would miss her. No one would care. A small smile graced her lips over the pain-stricken visage. How pathetic. She was going to die and no one would even notice. She stopped moving.

All that plagued her mind was, '_Here lies Gray Jackson.'_


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: So, uh, I'm going to be honest, I had no idea what on earth to take this chapter at first, but then a certain little birdy fed me a good dose of inspiration. So here ya go, something that took me all of an hour to come up with from the top of my head. Not too sure how I feel about it yet, but eh. Give me some feedback and let me know what you think. BE AS BRUTAL AS YOU WANT, I CAN TAKE IT. **

_A woman of the sea,_

_Unable to grasp what had come to be._

* * *

_Have you ever felt grasp of death?_

Death's dark hand pulled her into its loving embrace. When she wailed, her tongue was a leech, thick and slimy, sucking the very breath from her throat. She reached for hope—for her last glimpse of light, but everything was ice; everything was black. She was a skeleton, her bones made of frost, her eyes clouded with venom.

Her skin peeled off, revealing bare muscle and bone. Numbness took her and she lay there, wondering which was up or down. He was gone, and she lie there waiting, a single wilted petal floating down Death's eternal ocean.

_And then she saw it.  
Light._

Alyse kicked furiously, hues of silver and blue enveloping her. She felt like she had been turned inside out, her flesh was on fire, her bones ached. But she saw it, a glimmer of hope just above, so she kicked until her legs screamed for release and her lungs filled to the brim with salt.

Her mind was blank, the venom trying to take root and steal her soul completely. It's inky pitch clouded around her peripherals, threatening to pool back into her eyes, to take the only thing she had left. Fighting was her only chance, the only way to save her from herself. The light reached for her, shining so brightly it almost burned even at these depths.

It was a battle for life or death, heaven or hell. Gray or the devil.

_She broke surface._

Alyse let out a desperate scream, inhaling as much air she possibly could, trying to rework the oxygen back into her body. The darkness in her began to recede, clawing desperately at her flesh, tugging on her limbs and anything it could wrap around. And then it stopped, everything ceased. The world was made of black and white and Alyse saw the light. It was the moon.

"Hello child."

Alyse let out a bewildered screech as she spun around, the lukewarm ocean water lapping at her shoulders. A woman, adorned in a stitched red and white dress stood before her, brown leather boots treading the water as she walked towards Alyse. The woman's face was masked by the shadow of a hood, the only visible features a pair of thin lips and light cerulean orbs, an unearthly glow about them. Was this the angel of mercy? Was this her second chance? Before the question fell from Alyse's lips, the woman began to speak once more.

" Who I am isn't nearly as important as who you are. As to where we are, you must only need to look inside yourself to find the answer."

" Is this… heaven?" Alyse whispered as the ethereal mysterious woman watched her through those hauntingly beautiful eyes, hands clasped together in front of her. A small quirk played across her lips and Alyse knew this woman knew far more than Alyse wanted to know.

" It is a second chance to prove yourself in the eyes of others, to be recognized as your own person. Take a look at your past life, at your loved ones and your enemies. Who were you then? Is it the same person you are now?"

A silence fell between them, something wasn't right. Alyse studied the form in front of her, searching her face for any sign of emotion.

"You're blind." She deadpanned, words stumbling out her mouth too quick for her to catch.

" I see in ways others do not."

Silence enveloped them once more.

"What… what am I supposed to do here?"

"What you do is up to you. Right now, you must find your place. Look to the east. There you will find land, a place in which you naught of."

"How will I know what to do? Where are you going!? I have no idea what I'm doing or where I'm going! Don't leave yet!"

" Fear not, all will reveal itself in time."

Color slowly began to ink its way into the world, but Alyse focused on the strange woman slowly fading away in front of her. She was left once more, cold and alone among the waves.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Call me over-dramatic, but it is a little disheartening to see less than half of the people who read my first chapter read the second with only one person giving me feedback. If you don't like it, that's fine, but please, let me know what I need to fix or if I should just trash the story all together. Thanks. c:**

* * *

_Her mind lost and confused,  
Her body overused._

* * *

The next time Alyse peeled her salt-crusted eyes open, all she saw was a scorching ball of flame glaring down at her water-logged form relentlessly. Above her, there was a tall, intimidating cliff-face, dotted with lush pines and weeping willows, although it gave little shelter. The only relief from that searing radiance that boiled her blood was the cold, rigid rocks beneath her and the stinging brine lapping at her sides. In front of her was nothing but the never-ending deep blue from which she came. Her body was too stiff and skin too blistered to move from her spot. She remained there, sprawled out on her craggy haven, submitting to the ever-blazing orb. It wasn't until the sun found repose on the horizon that she chose to move.

Alyse's mind pondered how she got here or why and she vaguely recollected her run-in with the figure in red and white. That couldn't have been real, could it? It seemed when the being spoke, she had painted the world in black and white—like she had stopped time's clock from ticking. Was it a dream? Alyse couldn't make up her mind; the woman was so fantastical that considering her anything but a concoction of Alyse's own imagination seemed irrational. She couldn't believe that the specter with glowing eyes and the ability to stop time was real. It had to have been a delusion she made up to give this whole event purpose.

Alyse pulled herself up, her bones popping, stiff muscles screaming in protest after such a long period immobility. The once elegant black dress she donned was now a worn, brittle grey that seemed to have disintegrated over time. She had lost her shoes and jacket in the water, though she couldn't recall when, and the opaque tights she wore were ripped and frayed until they were meaningless pieces of nylon hanging from her raw flesh. For a long while she just stood there, taking in the sound of the night tide slapping against her rocky surface of her refuge. A forlorn sob ripped from her throat and she fell to her knees, wailing in reckless abandon. Her heart felt as it had been pulled from her chest and her torso disjoined from the rest of her. She thought she might cry herself to death, prayed she would just to cease the unyielding despair.

She roused from a restless sleep and looked to the moon, the cool iridescent eye that soared high into the midnight sky. It was okay if no one knew she died, as long as she could remember herself. Without a moment's hesitation, she began to ascend the rock-face behind her.

The climb was treacherous, at times too steep and Alyse would lose her bearings and nearly fall, sometimes hoping she would so she could finally rest. It took hours to even reach the halfway mark, at that time her nails had been torn away from the skin, revealing raw nerves, and her fingers and toes grinded down to nothing more than bloody, dirt-packed nubs. The sun was coming up again, its soft rays casting light on the safest paths she could take. Alyse worked past the point of her reserves, but she continued to scale the bluffs, determined to make it up to dry land, where she could finally collapse in sweet release. Finally, she found her first sight of grass, long blades of emerald dancing in the light, salty breeze coming from the ocean. Nearly there, even though her arms were weak from over-use and her hands well bloodied, Alyse let out an enlivened shriek and pulled herself over the edge, pouring herself out on the grassy bluff. Her legs dangled off the side, her skin torn and sliced, blood trickling down her limbs. She cried once more, delirious with the joy of finally reaching land. Maybe someone would find her, maybe someone would save her. She didn't care, she was done. For now.

_Laughter. She's floating. It's a man, the guttural sound of utter joy spilling from his lips. It reminds her of Gray and inside she smiles. She can imagine him, standing there with his head thrown back and his hand pressed against his stomach. She can't open her eyes, she doesn't dare. She doesn't know if this is real or a dream. Whatever it is, it warms her. She is being carried now to some destination unknown, but she has hopes for a warm bed and fresh clothes. She allows the exhaustion to take over once more and falls into a dreamless sleep._

_She hears it again, but this time there are many laughs. The acrid scent of piss, sweat and dirt assaults her nostrils and she almost chokes on it. It doesn't soothe her anymore, their voices whisper of something horrid. It's cold now, whatever is under her is cold and unyielding. She can't make out any words; she can only hear the laughs. They drip with an insidious intention and she can't help but be afraid. How foolish could she be? She can't open her eyes, she doesn't dare. She can't let them know she is awake._

"Get up!"

Suddenly, the spray of icy water soaked her to the bone and Alyse couldn't help but let out a surprised yelp. Her eyes darted around frantically, observing and searching for any signs of danger. The floor was cold and there were iron bars all around her. A man clad in a tattered shirt and sweat stained striped pants stood above her, a disgusting grin gracing his mouth full of rotting teeth. Wait, was that...?  
"Rise and shine, lovie. There's a nice, warm place by the fire waiting for you," the horrid-looking man began, "That is, 'course, if you're up to a good romp with the men."

Alyse sat up quickly and backed herself against the bars, pulling her knees to her chest as she stared at the man. She wasn't mistaken, there was a sword strapped to his side. "W-where am I? Stay back!" she cried, scrambling to the other side of her cage when he came towards her. In an instant, she was staring down the barrel of an old style flintlock pistol. "Or what?" the man sneered, pulling back the hammer. When Alyse cowered against the bars once more, his smirk returned and he gripped her wrist, yanking her to a standing position and tugging her out of the cage.  
" It looks like we got us a ripe one, fellas." He sniggered and the other men followed suit, leering at her like she was a piece of meat.  
"Yeah, someone will pay a pretty penny for her!"  
"I got a hundred gold for 'er right now!"

Alyse looked around her, a pit of rage boiling in her gut. What, after her climb to freedom she's now going to be held captive by a bunch of men in bandit costumes and rotting teeth who'd probably ravage her at the drop of a hat? Before the man gripping her wrist painfully tight could react, her elbow slammed into his face and she bolted as quickly as she could through the trees. Unfortunately for her, she didn't notice the pointed wooden logs wrapped in barbed-wire surrounding them. She stopped dead in her tracks, looking right to left, trying to find a place to hide. If they got ahold of her, they'd certainly kill her or worse. Then she spotted it, a giant gate made of the same logs and wire stood before her. It was her only chance. Alyse jumped up, using the wire as her ladder while she attempted to scale the huge gate. The wire bit into the pads of her feet, but they were already numb from her long climb up the cliff. And then she heard the shot. Fire bloomed from her shoulder and coursed through her entire body, she let out a cry before losing grip and falling. She rolled around on the ground, as if she was set aflame while she gripped her shoulder hard. Blood was seeping through her fingers and that's when she knew they had shot her. She was screaming now, but she wasn't there. It was as if she floated away and was watching from up above while the men drank and laughed and dragged her back to the middle of the camp, hungry eyes basking in her suffering.

Days went by and Alyse busied herself with thoughts of Gray—thoughts of her old life. There was no saying where she ended up, but she knew she was nowhere near her home. What was home anyway? Her home was with Gray, and now that he is gone, she had nothing. Some nights she would cry and think about all the wrongs she had done, others she would lie in the center of that cold metal cage, wishing death would come and pull her into the ground, where she could suffocate in peace. The men were relentless, but surprisingly, they hadn't touched her much. Of course, one morning she was woken up by a stream of piss coating her face and once a man tried to feel her up, but what seemed to be the leader of the pack gave him a good thrashing. When she thought on it, she realized these were not human beings, they were animals. Their laughs sounded much like wolves howling at the moon and their predatory eyes always watching, sizing her up for the next attack. It never came though. There were those rare moments where the men would take turns feeding her; that was the only time she ever saw a bit of human in them. To them, it was like feeding a starving puppy, their good deed for the week. To her, she saw a glimpse of gentleness in them; it didn't make her mind so much that they treated her like an animal.

If only for a second.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Holy hell, this chapter whipped my ass. Seriously, I had a humongous brain fart for the past few days and just could not get a single thing on paper. It basically made me want to quit writing this story because it was such an asshole. So, yeah, here ya go, it's done and I just want it out of my hair. Onto the next chapter! Hopefully that one doesn't have me screaming profanities at the computer again. Anyway, off to play Skyrim and never see the light of day again.  
**

**P.S: Reaver will be showing up soon!**

* * *

_She came on the waves,  
To find herself._

It was another early morning in the many weeks she had been there, the night before holding little comfort for Alyse. However, this was one of the few mornings of peace she'd been gifted. The lull of the singing bird's melody, chirping of the day's first blush and the faint crashing of salt water billows against the rocky landscape alleviated the feeling of dread in her. Softly, she hummed the tune along with the birds above and let her mind drift, imagining herself as a goldfinch, able to fly out of the arms of these ruthless monsters. She shared a quiet giggle with herself; she felt as if she was living in a fantasy world, where dragons swooped down from the sky and set villages aflame—where a hero would come and cut down the beast with an enchanted blade. She wished someone would come and cut down the beasts keeping her here.

"Oi, girl!" an unfamiliar whisper came.

Alyse gritted her teeth, trying to swallow down the rekindled fire threatening to spill out. She didn't answer, merely flicked her sage orbs towards a swarthy man in front of her cage. She had never seen him before, but he had the same canter and behaviors of the other bandits. "I can get you out of here. Where is everyone?"

"Why?" she grunted, a flash of anger crossing her face. "Do you know how many times I've heard that? You know what happened to them? They had their guts ripped from their stomachs right in front of me. You can't save anyone but yourself, and you certainly don't look the type to care about anyone but yourself anyway. I suggest you leave before you find yourself lying on the ground with a blade stuck in your chest." A charming smile graced the caramel colored man and Alyse found herself staring into his fiery amber gaze that was now inches from her cage.

The undeniable sound of a hammer to a gun roused the two from their eye-lock. "An' what do you think yer doin'?" a raspy voice asked, his flintlock pistol pointed straight for the newcomer.

The man simply sat up and grinned at the taller man, much more intimidating bandit leader in front of him. "I like this girl's look. I think we both can agree that something like that shouldn't go to waste, what with the slave business booming and all." The leader perked up a bit and glanced over to Alyse, running his eyes over her form greedily. After a few moments, he seemed to have made up his mind and tucked his weapon away.

"You lookin' to buy?"

"I dunno, you lookin' to sell?"

Alyse couldn't believe her ears, the man who had just told her he'd save her only moments ago was now wagering to buy her off the bandit crew. A breathy sigh escaped her chapped lips and she crawled to the opposite side of her cage, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to spill. No doubt she was scared, terrified even—but Alyse was never under the illusion that something like this wouldn't happen. Without realizing it, she was crying, trembling with the loud sobs that racked her body. She forced her head up and watched the exchange of gold pieces in front of her, knowing the bandit leader had sold this man her life. For the longest time she wished to be out of this cage and away from these men, but now she couldn't wish any stronger to stay in it. Time and time again, these criminals could have raped her, beaten her, and even killed her—but they never did. Here, she was safe, but now she was being forced into the arms of some strange man whom she'd have to serve anyway he wished.

"Please, please don't sell me." She begged as the leader stuck the key in the cage door. Her hands were on top of his in an instant, holding the door closed, hoping he would have mercy on her soul. A smug smirk ran across his thin lips and he gripped her chin between two fingers roughly. "If it wasn't for the money, I woulda done worse things to ya than he ever will." He growled and smashed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth in the process. His breath reeked of liquor and decay and his tongue felt like a wet piece of shit being shoved down her throat. It took everything in Alyse not to vomit in his mouth right then and there, and instead she sunk her teeth into his lip and pulled as hard as she could. He let out a pained wail and shoved her away, mopping up the blood that was now trickling down his chin. "You grimy little whore!" he screamed, yanking the cage open and dragging her out by her long locks. He pulled her up again, by her hair and wrapped one large hand around her throat, pressing his thumb deeply into her skin. Alyse flailed around desperately, clawing at the hand that took her breath away. She tried to scream but it couldn't reach her lips, he had taken her voice too. Her lungs were on fire with their need for oxygen but as much as she tried, she only ended up looking like a fish out of water, opening and closing her mouth in little puffs.  
"Hey, hey! Stop it! What good is a dead whore to me!?" the newcomer yelled, jumping in between the two, wrestling Alyse from the man's grasp. "Thank ya for your patronage, I'll send a portion of her earnings to you for the trouble." The man quickly said, slapping a pair of chains on Alyse's wrist and pulling her along towards the door. The leader merely stood there, glaring at Alyse with a look that could kill, blood dribbling down his mouth while the slaver high-tailed it out of there with his prize.

Funny they didn't have their barricade closed.

Alyse was screaming and growling, slamming her fist onto the man's back as hard as she could. When they were a few meters away from the encampment, the man threw her down and back-handed her swiftly. Pain bloomed in her cheek and started to cry softly once again. "Stupid girl, don't you know I'm tryin' to save you?" he yipped, tugging Alyse back up by her arm. "I'm sorry I hit ya, but you just wouldn't stop!"

"How am I supposed to believe you?! You just threw all your hard earned gold at that man!"

"That wasn't real gold, it was fool's gold. And the second he finds that out, we'll be days away from him, if you come with me. Otherwise, good luck living until tomorrow." With that, the golden eyed man stepped over her and started walking in the direction of the woods.  
"Wait! What's your name?" Alyse cried, getting up and trailing behind him like a lost puppy.  
"Paddy."


End file.
